Asante Akyem Central Assembly inaugurates security taskforce to intensify fight against illegal mining

The Asante Akyem Central Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region has established a multi-agency taskforce aimed at intensifying the fight against illegal mining in the area. This taskforce includes personnel from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Small-Scale Miners Association, all of whom will work together to increase surveillance at identified illegal mining sites.

The primary goal is to apprehend offenders and ensure they face prosecution, as illegal mining continues to destroy farmlands and pollute water bodies despite previous anti-galamsey efforts. The Municipal Chief Executive, Ebenezer Ekow Aidoo, announced that security personnel will be deployed to various mining sites to enforce anti-galamsey laws more effectively.

Eric Addai, the Chairman of the Small-Scale Miners Association, criticized the challenges faced by legitimate small-scale miners due to the lack of designated areas for such activities. He has called on the government to allocate portions of the Ashanti North concession to small-scale miners, enabling them to obtain legal concessions and operate within the law.

Brief written by urgent.news from Adom Online's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.